Understanding Mental Illness links to Interpersonal Development

Understanding mental illnesses

Exploring understandings of mental health/illness - page 17

Introducing the Understanding Mental Illness unit - page 18

Language brainstorm - page 18

Understanding what we mean by mental illness - page 19

Mental illness – the facts (handout) - pages 20–22

Learning the language of mental illness (worksheet) - pages 23–24

Level 5 Working in teams

At Level 5 students accept responsibility as a team member and support other members to share information, explore ideas of others, and work cooperatively to achieve a shared purpose within a realistic time frame. They reflect on individual and team outcomes an act to improve their own and the team’s performance.

Level 6 Working in teams

At Level 6 students work collaboratively, negotiate roles and delegate tasks. Working with the strengths of a team they achieve agreed goals within set time frames. Students respect and build on ideas and opinions of team members, reflect on the effectiveness of learning in a team and develop strategies for improvement.

Experiences of mental illness

Video – group discussion of section 1 – uses section 1 of MindMatters - page 26

Mental Illness video
Homework – reading information sheets - page 28

Video discussion sheet – group and whole class discussion questions - page 29

Eating disorders (information) - pages 30–32

Depression (information) - pages 33–35

Anxiety disorders (information) - pages 36–38

Bipolar mood disorder (information) - pages 39–41

Schizophrenia (information) - pages 42–44

Level 5 Working in teams

Level 6 Working in teams

Mental illnesses – the same but different

Specialist groups – recording information about specific illnesses - pages 45–46

Sharing the pieces or Follow up quiz - page 46

Answers for quiz - page 47

Understanding anxiety disorders (record sheet) - page 48

Understanding depression (record sheet) - page 49

Understanding schizophrenia (record sheet) - page 50

Understanding eating disorders (record sheet) - page 51

Understanding bipolar mood disorder or manic depression (record sheet) - page 52

Mental illness. How much do you understand? (worksheet) - page 53 – quiz

Community attitude survey (template) - page 55

Survey record sheet - page 56

Level 5 Working in teams

Level 6 Working in teams

Changing people’s minds & attitudes

Survey collation - pages 57–59

Video – changing people’s attitudes – uses section 2 of MindMatters - pages 59–61

Mental Illness video
Script your own advertisement - pages 61–62

Exploring attitudes - page 62

The kindness of strangers (handout) - page 63

Key communication messages (handout) - page 64

Level 5 Working in teams

Level 6 Working in teams

Labels are for jars

Labels - pages 65–67

Option A - If the shoe fits - pages 65–66

Option B - Labelling jars not people - page 66

Fact, fear, furphy or fiction – a summary quiz - page 67

Creative writing – uses ‘A thesaurus of madness’ handout - page 68

Newsletter - page 68

Labels (worksheet) - page 69

Jam-jars (worksheet) - page 70

Fact, fear, furphy or fiction (worksheet) - pages 71-72

A thesaurus of madness (handout) - page 73

Level 5 Working in teams

Level 6 Working in teams

Seeking help, finding support

Identifying the need for support - page 75

Local services - page 75

Care of the seriously mentally ill in Australia - page 76

Something is not quite right - getting help early for mental illness (handout) - Checklists - pages 77–78

Scenario cards (handouts) – 8 scenarios provided - pages 79–82

Care of the seriously mentally ill in Australia (handout) - pages 83–86

Level 5 Working in teams

Level 6 Working in teams